


I can take care of myself just fine

by orphan_account



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Description of Injuries, F/F, cheroni, choni
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 17:47:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14959206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Originally written for a prompt on Tumblr, requesting that I use the sentence "I can take of myself just fine," in a choni fic.Or; the one where Toni gets hurt and doesn't know how to let Cheryl help her.





	I can take care of myself just fine

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

The gravel crunched as people passed by outside the trailer, and Cheryl perked up at the sound. She was sat alone on the couch, painting her nails as she watched old reruns of Friends. Toni had left early that morning for some Serpent business, that she didn't want Cheryl to know too much about. It had annoyed Cheryl, of course it had. She was so used to being in control of the situation, and being in the know when it came to the people around her. However, with Toni in her life, things were unpredictable. Obviously, Cheryl knew that being in a gang came with a set of tasks and responsibilities that required tending to, but it took their relationship moving to the next level for her to realize just how involved the other girl was.

Voices passed outside the trailer, carried by the fleeting wind of the night. No sign of Toni. All day the girl had failed to answer Cheryl's text messages, and she was growing increasingly worried. She put down the nail polish and allowed the coat to dry as she watched the TV distractedly. She could not shake the feeling that something awful might have happened, that Toni might be in danger. She had texted Sweet Pea and Fangs too, had even contemplated reaching out to Jughead, but found that to be just a little too desperate. She could play the role of supportive, unquestioning girlfriend. Cheryl trusted Toni, hard as it may have been in the beginning.

The polish had dried by the time she heard a new set of movements outside, this time sounding like it was much closer by. Cheryl could hear frantic whispers through the window, having left it cracked open to let in some of the cool evening air. She was sure she could hear Sweet Pea, the frustration in his voice apparent. He sounded pained, his voice strained as he spoke. She couldn't quite make out his words, as they were spoken quickly. She fought the urge to look out the window, not wanting to invade on the privacy of the tall boy, and whoever he was talking to.

That is, until she heard the voice of her girlfriend. She whispered much more successfully than Sweet Pea, making it impossible for Cheryl to hear a single word. Cheryl tried her hardest to pick up on even a single syllable, but it appeared that if Toni didn't wish to be heard, she wouldn't be. Her only clue as to the general tone of the conversation was Sweet Pea's exaggerated groans and protests, as he tried to convince Toni of something Cheryl couldn't figure out. She was just about to open the window and call out to the pair, when their voices stopped, and the sound of footsteps in the gravel sounded once more. She hurried into a somewhat casual position, fixing her gaze on the TV as Toni opened the door with force.

The shorter girl didn't even acknowledge her, merely moving to the kitchen area, her back to Cheryl the entire way. She was muttering under her breath, and if Cheryl wasn't terribly mistaken, she was sure she heard profanities that had never escaped Toni before. Her jacket was torn at the sleeve, a large gap where the shoulder connected to the back piece, held together by a few persistent strings. Her jeans were caked with mud, and the flannel that she had worn around her waist when she left that morning was gone. Something was wrong.

Cheryl stood up slowly, and approached Toni much as one would approach a wounded animal, taking slow but sure steps as not to scare her. Toni didn't notice at all, as she rummaged around the freezer at the bottom of the fridge, pulling out a bag of frozen peas. She held the peas against her left hand, hissing at the cold sensation. Then she set the water running, moving to stand by the sink.

"Toni?" Cheryl tried, hesitantly.

"What?" Toni spat, not bothering to look at her girlfriend as she put aside the bag of peas and scrubbed furiously at her hands beneath the now unbearably hot water of the sink. Cheryl could see the steam rising from the spray, and frowned.

She didn't need to ask Toni if she was okay, sensing that she most definitely was not. Her stance was rigid, her entire posture signalling that she was in defense mode. She splashed some of the water from the sink onto her face, and Cheryl had enough and grabbed her shoulder, turning Toni to face her.

She gasped at the sight, taking in the ragged appearance of her girlfriend. There was blood pouring from a cut above her eye, and the corner of her mouth was torn into a bloody sore. She had faint shadows starting to paint her features, warnings of bruises to come. Toni looked at the ground, clearly not comfortable. She fixed her eyes on something tiny, a conjunction of tiles maybe, or a piece of lint. She flinched as Cheryl moved to cup her cheek, tugging her head away from her grasp.

"Toni," Cheryl spoke, voice firm, "look at me."

The girl obliged, albeit reluctantly, and looked directly into the concerned eyes of her girlfriend. Toni's own eyes were dark, filled with rage and embarrassment. Cheryl bit her bottom lip, shaking her head as she really absorbed the sight before her. She had never seen Toni like this, beat up and defeated. She was always full of spirit, a fighter. Toni huffed at the silence that met her actions, turning back around and resuming the task of cleaning her bloodied knuckles. The steaming water seeped into the open cuts on her hands, and her breath caught visibly in her throat.

Cheryl put a hand on Toni's shoulder, rubbing softly even as Toni tensed at the touch. She relaxed soon enough, although not as much as Cheryl would have liked. 

"What happened?" she asked. Toni sighed, throwing her head back slightly as she recalled the events of the day.

"Ghoulies," she admitted, "we interrupted a deal they were doing, accidentally."

"They did this to you?" Cheryl was appalled. She knew that Toni would occasionally be put in risky situations, but this was excessive. She didn't look like she should even be standing up at that very moment.

"No, I fell on the way home," Toni chuckled dryly, and Cheryl could nearly feel her roll her eyes, "of course the Ghoulies did it."

"Sorry," Cheryl muttered, looking at her bare feet against the linoleum tiles, "I just worry. I want to take care of you."

"I can take care of myself just fine," Toni spat, turning to face Cheryl, thunder shining in her brown eyes.

Cheryl took a deep breath, feeling her own sadness grow at the harsh tone her girlfriend was resorting to. She reached out to grab Toni's hand, thankfully only meeting minimal resistance. She grabbed the washcloth by the sink and started dabbing at the wounds on Toni's hand, composing herself.

"I know," she nodded, before fixing Toni with an intense stare, "but you don't have to. Not anymore."

This seemed to strike a chord with Toni, whose entire posture shifted from fight or flight mode to something more akin to relaxation. She nodded solemnly, shadows passing through her gaze.

"I know," she finally said, voice cracking, "I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Cheryl smiled softly, earning a weak, watery smile in return, "just let me take care of you."


End file.
